Trump Nominated for Peace Prize by Norway Right-Wing Lawmakers

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Donald Trump was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in reaching an agreement to work toward de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

The U.S leader was nominated by two members of Norway’s governing Progress Party, according to state broadcaster NRK. The deadline for this year’s prize passed in January, so this nomination would make him eligible for next year. It is unclear whether he was nominated for this year’s prize.

Nominations for the world’s most coveted prize are open to lawmakers, academics and researchers from around the world. The Nobel Committee in Oslo typically receives hundreds of nominations each year, and past candidates have also included Russian President Vladimir Putin and Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. A record 330 people were nominated this year.

While the Norwegian Nobel committee is appointed by parliament, it’s decisions are independent. Trump was nominated by two right-wing members of Norway’s Progress Party, which advocates for limited immigration and lower taxes.

“What’s going on now is historic,” Progress Party member Per-Willy Amundsen told NRK. “A process is underway to ensure world peace in the future. It’s a fragile process, but we must of course do what we can to help this process bring good results.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Stephen Treloar in Oslo at streloar1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jonas Bergman at jbergman@bloomberg.net